Christmas wish came true early!

Trip Recap!

So we returned late Monday night, very late.... too late in my opinion. oh where do i start... we arrived after midnight, we should have been home at 530pm, so you know there is a story there. we got to detroit airport early and everything was fine until 10 mins before our flight was to arrive they announced that chicago was having high winds and that the plane hadn't taken off yet. eek. we had a connection there at 245 and they said we should arrive hopefully at 230 giving us 15 mins to run to the gate. well it was a bumpy flight and by the time we arrived it was 3pm and our plane was gone. argh! the nice airline people moved us to the next fight.....at 830Pm!!!! so that meant we had to wait in the airport for 5 and a half hours. sooooooooooooooooo not cool! they didn't even have a gate number for us until 6pm so we found a gate with some free seats (let me say it was uber packed anyways and i could have been sitting on the floor)

needless to say we weren't the only people not getting on flights. we sat
in the new york gate and ate our pizza while angry new yorkers yelled at the airline people that they weren't on the stand by list or something. it was entertaining to say the least. ken decided to make the best of sitting and worked on his book. i however was getting cabin fever so i walked around a lot, read almost every new magazine until i couldn't stand anymore. watched some movies on our portable dvd player and tried to sleep at points.

at 6 we finally got our gate number and headed there to sit. oh i nearly was sick at the smell of the mcdonalds food. its been over a year since we gave it up and i don't miss it. however, the american food, not sure why this is, smells different anyways, every single person sitting around us was eatting it!!!!!!!!! gross! there was so many good food places in this terminal (if there was a place to get stuck its this place) heck the pizza we had was like fancy pizza (if there is such a thing) wolfgang puck pizza, nice.

so we got on the plane and lets say it wasn't a smooth ride. i was in tears, more so due to lack of sleep, food and overall tireness of the days event, so the extreme bumpy flight wasn't helping me calm down. all i wanted was to be on the ground. we got to watch the new charlie and the chocolate factory, it was pretty lame. since the flight was 4 hours, they always let you buy these 5$ food boxes, and ken was starving and asked and oh they don't serve them on late flights. argh. i had some potato chips in my bag and he snacked on that but we were both ready to jump out of the plane. i hate flying at night because i can't see anything and thats scarier i think. kens hand could be seriously crushed from my grip.

so we landed at 11pm and got through customs fast since the airport was empty, and headed to baggage claim. well, there was a bag jam and we had to wait another 20 mins. lol, it was getting funny at this point. lucky our bags were some of the first off, and we ran to get a cab to go home. cab driver was really nice, and was talking about how the snow had started falling earlier that night. it was really pretty, big flakes filling the sky. i think it helped ease my tension.

so we are home and happy! I don't want to be on a plane for awhile....

And so the trip ends...

Tomorrow we are flying home, its strange how time flies when your having a good time. The past few days were filled with lots of visiting family and friends and going to Michigan attractions. I wanted to post pictures during our time away but due to stupid technical issues I was unable to do so. I will be posting lots of great things once we are back home. This has been a very memorable trip for us and will be for some time. Lots to be thankful for this american thanksgiving indeed.

Got to see Jeff and Marie today as well as Steve. Nice to see the newlyweds are happy and well. They have been busy with house renos.

Today was Mom's birthday and we celebrated by doing dinner at this great resturant called the Memphis Smoke. Food was sooooooo good. It was a blues and bbq type place, and I got to try sweet potato fries. YUM.

Dan and Ken have been watching Family Guy and old home movies. They may be older now, but nothing has changed with these two. Heheh.

Looking forward to being home in my own bed, I miss it. Also want to see my brother and his new fiance Jo! I am so excited that I am finally getting a sister. The wedding is August 26th, 2006. The engagement party is this weekend, so much fun will be had.

Well, I will sign out until we return to Canada, my home and native land!

Happy Thanksgiving...the USA version

Well, we had a great day. Lots of stuff happening and lots of cold wind and snow to top it off. We rolled out of bed and had a rather small breakfast since we missed most of the free breakfast stuff. Managed to get some cereal and the guy cleaning up managed to find us each a banana and a fresh doughnut. I tell you all now that American doughnuts are PURE SUGAR!!! Seriously, this stupid thing was soooo heavy, i had one bite and shook from the sugar rush. Yuck. Needless to say I refused to eat anymore.

Also, discovered that in American hotels, if you leave money in your room, like on the desk or night stand, the cleaning ladies think its a tip. Ken left a $5 bill on the desk, forgetting to put it in his wallet after going to the drink machine the night before. When we returned our room was cleaned REALLY nicely. I was surpried, then discovered the bill was gone. LOL. Oh well, they can use it more than us.

Tonight, was the big dinner at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Bill's place. A good number of the family made it out so Ken got to visit with lots of cousins. Took some great pictures and I will post them when I get the chance. But we had a wonderful dinner and I am full.... until my regular dinner hits...which is soon. ugh. I feel so bad because we get all this wonderful food but its more like lunch to us. Sigh. Expect a late night taco run tonight. Heheh.

Ken's friend just arrived for a late night visit so I will bring this update to a close. So Happy American Thanksgiving! Yay!

We Arrived!

So we made it to Michigan alive and well. Its not too cold yet but it has just started snowing, so that could change things.

Interesting experience at the airport, but I am going to let Ken tell that one. Heheh. But overall good flights, no problems and smooth connections.

Ken's grandma gets in to town today, yay. We are going to be setting up the Christmas tree soon too, so I will keep this brief for now and will write more once we have gotten out of jet-lag state.

Final countdown...

We are leaving soon, a few hours. Just need to get through today, then we will be flying away....

So much is happening, life is never boring, thats for sure. Spent most of the weekend around Ladner with Nana and Aunt Penny. Got to go to some bazaars, found some more dishclothes, woot. Also found a great stocking stuffer for Ken. But since he reads this I can't share what it was. Trust me, he is gonna love it.

Saturday morning I got a pedicure, so relaxing. My toes look like little cranberries. Hee. I haven't been in awhile so it was very refreshing. It always makes my feet feel so good. Ahhh.

Still not feeling very great. Trying to get myself together before we leave. Nothing worst than being ill on a plane. Ugh. Found out what movie we are gonna get to see on the plane, and its one I haven't seen. Bonus!

Yesderday, Andrea came over for some instructions, she is house sitting for us while we are gone. I like knowing there is someone there taking care of things, collecting the mail etc. I need to pick up some lightbulbs tonight, I saw one burnt out and I do believe that I am out of that particular bulb. Thats the strange thing about our place. All the bulbs are the same in the whole place, except the eatting area one. Why is that? Its rather annoying but what can you do. I guess buy more bulbs.

I saw some little green sprouts in my garden. So my bulbs are waking up, perhapes too early... the weather was warmer than usual this fall. Still its refreshing to see new life already. My garden is going to be wonderful and so pretty.

I plan on keeping my blog updated while away in Michigan. Posting some pictures of the Thanksgiving celebrations, yay turkey! I really am looking forward to our time away. Should be very exciting. Found this pic, I'm sure this is how it is on Sesame Street at Thanksgiving. Heheh.

I'm hoping the fog lifts soon. I heard some planes aren't able to take off and that freaks me out a bit since we have a connection flight to make in Chicago. So I am praying it goes smoothly.

I made a to-do list last night, lots of cleaning and junk. I need to drop off some more of our greeting cards at Fancy This Gifts today as well as deposit and get out some cash for the airport.

I still can't get over the fact we will be gone a week. However, it has worked out that it is the best time to be away at the moment. Need some time to chill before Christmas. The moment we get back things get really busy. I have another Photo Montage Video I got hired to do, a 40th birthday one. As well as everything else I'm doing work wise. Also, I am hosting the coffee group on the friday, so I want to decorate for Christmas. Whee. That weekend is also the meeting of Jo's family with our family. I have this feeling more could be announced at this party. Lets just say Mike and dad are terrible at lying. So I will see if my woman's senses were correct. LOL.

Ok, time to get to work, my next post will be coming to you from Michigan!

Blah...

Ugh, not feeling well today at all! Really hoping I'm not getting sick right before we are to leave for Michigan. Argh. Ended up falling asleep on the couch last night, and since Ken went to bed early didn't realize I wasn't in bed until this morning. He came downstairs and was like 'there you are." I kept falling asleep yesterday, so I guess my body needs the rest.

I've been busy stitching an ornament for the exchange on the cross stitch board. woo! Its looking good and I hope to finish it today. Depends on how I feel... argh.

Gonna be seeing Kyle tonight at Nana's. He is in town this month for work. Glad we get to touch base with him before we leave.

I can't believe we are leaving early Tuesday!!! Man the time flies. I wonder if there will be snow?

Ok, my headach is back, I am gonna go lie down. Blah!

The sky is falling!

Can't believe its Monday already. That long weekend sure went fast. Maybe because it was jammed pack of exciting events and activities. Its funny how as a kid the days are so long and as an adult they are short. Weird....

Friday, was mostly a day of relaxing and remembering. It was pouring rain and since we had already been sick once this year, we decided to stay warm inside and watch the ceremonies on tv. Watching the faces of the young and old, gathered together to mark such events in history, is overwhelming. Both my dad's parents served and so I will always remember them on days like this.

Saturday, I had made a date with Beth and Katie to go down to "Circle Craft" at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was a bit mucky out, but it was still fun to get out to the city again. I realized that I really don't miss it. The noise, the people, the cars.... its just too loud for the country girl. Hehe. Nice to visit though.

The event was alot of fun, did sooooooooo much walking that I have some pretty nasty blisters on my feet. Ugh. I managed to finish the christmas shopping there, as well as pick up a lovely stainglass, dragonfly moble for our future nursery. I'm always on the look out for orginal things, I don't want the typical baby room.

This is a picture from their website. Our moble has a blue, green and white dragonfly. Each color its own meaning (they had a card there with all the meanings on it) and I selected colors especially for a new child. Kinda like a little prayer or wish for them. Like that scene in Sleeping Beauty with the fairies giving her gifts. These are my hopes for our furture child.

Blue:
Intellect and spiritual insight - creativity and openness - hope, optimism and new beginnings

Green:
Represents healing and growth, inspiring hope and the fulfillment of dreams - it is calming and refreshing - stimulates imagination, empathy and creativity

White
Encompasses all colours thus representing opportunity and possibility in life - innocence, virtue, wholeness, the ideal - improves concentration and clear thinking

It was fun to see Katie and Beth for a few hours and enjoy christmas stuff. If you get the chance to go to this event next year, I highly recommend it!

Sunday was a busy morning with church events. I was busy with our kindergarten class and Ken was with his older group, directing the drama. After the service I had to run and help with the christmas brunch ticket sales and then back to help with the taping of the interviews for the ministry video I'm building.

When we got home and had a simple lunch, Ken suggested we got to see "Chicken Little" and have dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory with our lovely gift certificates Katrina and David gave us for making a photo video for their summer wedding. So we checked the show times and headed out for a 345pm show.

I wasn't sure if we were going to like it but we were pleasently surprised and I even shead a tear in a scene. It was a great film and we spent time yaking about it over dinner. Yum. We came home and started a joint review on Hollywood Jesus. Check it out if you have time. Then we crashed in bed around 1030pm and tried to keep warm. It was WAY cold last night. Ugh.

Today, I have been working on the minisry video. Its coming along well. I am really pleased with it thus far. Was having some sound issues, blah. Tonight is the meeting at the church to discuss progress. So I should sign off and countinue, eh?

Remembrance Day

For our king and our country and the promise of glory
We came from Kingston and Brighton to fight on the front line

Just lads from the farms and boys from the cities
Not meant to be soldiers we lay in the trenches

We'd face the fighting with a smile - or so we said
If only we had known what danger lay ahead

The sky turned to grey as we went into battle
On the fields of Europe young men were fallin'

I'll be back for you someday - it won't be long
If I can just hold on 'til this bloody war is over

The guns will be silent on Remembrance Day
There'll be no more fighting on Remembrance Day

By October of 18 Cambrai had fallen
Soon the war would be over and we'd be returnin'

Don't forget me while I'm gone far away
Well it won't be long 'till I'm back there in your arms again

One day soon - I don't know when
You know we'll all be free and the bells of peace will ring again

The time will come for you and me
We'll be goin' home when this bloody war is ended

The guns will be silent on Remembrance Day
We'll all say a prayer on Remembrance Day

On Remembrance Day - say a little prayer
On Remembrance Day

Well the guns will be silent
There'll be no more fighting
Oh we'll lay down our weapons
On Remembrance Day

by Bryan Adams, "Into the Fire"


In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, saw dawn, felt sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up your quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by Major John McCrae

WHOA!

Its offical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My hubby is gonna be an author! We got the email just a few moments ago, and I think we are both in shock! Its so crazy and yet such a God thing!

The book is going to be about Stop-Motion Animation. A topic that Ken lives and breathes. Its sort of a funny story how this happened. Ken was contacted by a lady from Thomson Course Technology. She had found his bio on the VanArts website and saw he taught stop motion. They wanted to do a book on it because of the recent films like Wallace and Gromit and Corpse Bride.

So that started the emails. Then they talked early one morning, because of the time difference, about building a proposal to take to the board. She sent the template and Ken works hard last week building one impressive proposal. He mailed his reel to show as well at the meeting.

That said, meeting happened today.....we had such a hard time falling asleep last night. We knew it was out of our hands and whatever happened would be what was laid out for us. So at 11am this email arrived....

Hi Ken,

I wanted to send you a quick note and let you know that the editorial board meeting went very well, and we’re geared up to do a stop-motion animation book with you, so congratulations!

I am out of the office tomorrow but back at it Monday, so let’s get together and talk contract and details and stuff next week. Sound ok?

Thanks again for submitting such a solid proposal. Everyone was blown away.

Cheers

So numerous emails and calls are happening at the moment. EEK! This means lots of work for the both of us. They want to have everything ready for the presses in early summer. I'll be helping with research and photos, and overall wife support. :)

Today is a special day for us, we will remember this one for a long time!

The saga of the volvo...

I really miss the days of car free living, but with my new role of working from home, we knew it was time for the wheels. We lucked out in September, not sure if I ever mentioned this, but my dad was buying a new car (surprise another volvo) and was looking for a new owner for his 92' one. Needless to say it worked out and the newest member of our family is Tank. I call it that because, lets face it, old volvos look like tanks. No one is gonna crush my tank. Hehehe.

So things have been pretty smooth thus far. Only a brief leak in the tire, that was fixed no problem. Problem getting the face plate back on the CD player, a few tries later it was fine. However, last night was a whole new can of worms. We went to take the car to Bible study and the alarm, which I was under the assumtion, no longer worked, proved in fact it indeed did work. So we are looking at each other with the what exactly happened look. We managed to get it stopped, don't ask me how, I still believe its a fluke.

Talked to papa this morning and he came over with pal Dave and they worked on the car. Not entirely sure at this point what the deal is but some sort of issue with the battery, not sure how that works the alarm but they said it was wired to it so maybe thats a clue. So they ended up taking over to the shop to work on it and I feel better knowing they know whats wrong. Should be back later tonight if everything goes well.

As for everything else these days. One word - BUSY!!! I am in the midst of getting things together for our Michigan trip (land of the huge tire) which is approaching at a rate I didn't dream it could. Need to finish gifts asap!!!

I am also apart of the Campaign team at church for the new ministry center. Woot. I have taken on the role of Multi-media coordinator, so I have been working on editing a presentation piece that will be shown soon. So the phone has been ringing a lot these days and meetings are filling the calendar. I am so excited to be part of this team, I believe in this project so much and its so great to be part of something that will be in the church's history forever.

On top of that my graphics work, which thank goodness for now is in a hold as I wait for the data to be delivered. I did hear back and the client loved the newsletter so I am totally pumped! Yay. Its been fun doing stuff for the Cancer Prevention site, especially since both Ken and I are big supporters of cancer research. The HIV database that I also have been working on, building the layouts, is also in data phase. Waiting for data is sometimes boring but with so much keeping me on my toes I don't notice much.

Our sunday school class has been wonderful. Its so sad to think we will be away for one week. I am gonna miss them so much. We are starting to teach them stuff for the christmas show. Ken is helping with the drama portion so for the next few weeks I am flying solo in the classroom. Its not bad, but means less crafts involving glue, LOL. I got a sub booked this morning so I am feeling better knowing one more thing is off my to-do list.

The newest edition of the Hollywood Jesus books just came out. Click here to see and buy one if you want. Ken has 2 articles published in this one. I am so proud of my boy! He may even get the chance to write a stop-motion animation book. We are still in negotiations so once its a done deal I will share the great news!

So in closing of one of my largest blogs in awhile, I say this. God's blessings have been raining down in our lives. With ministry, work and play, it has been quite a wild few months. To all my friends reading this, I hope to see you all soon once the extreme craziness ends. Maybe some December visits?
If you can believe the calendar is slowly getting filled already. Eek. So I hope to touch base with you all soon.

Love you all! Jay over and out!

Christmas Countdown - 45 days

Reaching out

So yesterday was the offical shopping trip for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and the Single Moms Ministry. Both are areas that we always donate to, because of our love for kids.

The shoeboxes get filled with school supplies, hygene items, toys and hard candies. I get such a rush out of putting these kits together for a special boy and girl that I will never meet. Something cool about knowing I can make someone smile and they won't ever know my name. I think thats what I like the most. I don't need a thank you because its not about me, its about the idea of giving to someone else.

We also pick a boy and girl from the single moms list and buy a toy for the Christmas party they will have. I never was in a situation growing up where I only had one parent. I was very blessed and I am thankful. When my mom died when I was 20, it really hit me what life could have been for me if I had been a child when this happened. I miss her the most at Christmas, perhapes this is why I try and do so much at this time of year.

The gifts and boxes are ready to go out. I kinda wish I had our tree up so I could put them underneath until they got dropped off.

Its offically 2 weeks today until we leave on the plane for cold Michigan! I see the pile of things still not yet done and it makes me a little scared. I know it will come together, but I have so many things on my plate these days. I was working on the video for the church this morning. Was getting a little nervous that I didn't have everything I needed and then the phone rang and Linda was on the other end. She is the interviewer for the stories and so I had to laugh and say what a God thing that you called. hehe.

So I think I will work on some gift stuff and prepare for tonight and Bible Study. Its a rainy day, not that exciting and not really a day to go out in.

Christmas Countdown - 46 days

Annual Christmas Bazaar

Today was the annual barzaar at the Catholic church in town. Oh, how I love this event!!! I have been going for years, and it is one of the big events I look forward to marking the begining of the christmas season!

Got some cute craft items, a lovely folk art santa, a snowman, some new dishclothes and my favorite slipper booties. Also picked up 2 frozen apple pies for Ken, his favorite! Then I joined Nana, Kitty and Delores for tea. I think they have the best fancy sandwiches there, oh they were amazing as usual! Why must it only be once a year?

Saw Julie's mom and got to chat with her for a bit, as well as my old elementary school secretary. Also saw Wendy with the girls, one of them wasn't in the best mood, time for lunch I guess. Hee. There were a lot of people as usual but it felt even busier than I remember.

Tonight we are having company for dinner, woot! Corene and Toby are coming over as well as the new Youth Pastor, Dan. I think Ken is planning to pull out the 'Scene It' game tonight since both Dan and Toby are movie buffs. Might make for an interesting game for once, since Ken usually kicks serious butt whenever we play. (Probably why we don't play much anymore. Heh)

So the house is clean, dinner is ready to pop into the oven at 5pm and I am somewhat chilling until Ken gets home. He took the car today so he could get home faster. Yay!

Oh, I found out Delores is putting her Christmas decor up starting next weekend.... oh I am so all over that!!!! So expect numerous pics as the boxes get pulled out and I begin my favorite time of year.

Christmas countdown : 49 Days

Cold....so very cold...

Well, it seems our baseboard heating decided that it wasn't going to work today...argh. A call has been placed to the super of our building but until then I have several layers of clothes on. Its so weird how things just stop working. The heat was fine yesterday, why suddenly is it not? This same event happened last year. Always on the coldest day it seems, blah.

In other news, been full speed ahead on christmas gift making, woot! Trying to finish the cross stitching so I can focus on the sewing them into ornaments part. With the date of our trip drawing near, I feel the pressure to finish.

Got a neat idea for gift tags this year. I am going to cut up last years christmas cards we received. I found them this morning cleaning up and it makes me feel better than just throwing them out.

Christmas Countdown : 52 Days

My life in a nutshell

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.6
Mind:	6.6
Body:	5.5
Spirit:	8
Friends/Family:	6.8
Love:	7.3
Finance:	7.6
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Things look pretty good! Yay for my life! Hehehe.

So, last night was pretty quiet. We never get trick or treaters in our townhouse complex. Blah. I lit the pumpkin and made pizza and crashed on the couch till Ken got home. We then did the regular Monday night TV viewing, then went and worked on some of the proposal stuff for the book he may get to write. Very exciting.

Today is a new month! ACK! Kinda weird how fast the days go by. We are leaving in a few weeks for Michigan and Turkey days, aka Thanksgiving the sequel. The hotel was booked on the weekend and we set up a housesitter so all thats left is finishing all the christmas gifts that we will be taking so we can save by not mailing them. :)

Its pretty nasty outside today, think I will stay inside at all costs.